Cryo-thermal (hot and cold) ablation
Cryo-thermal ablation freezes tumour tissue with liquid nitrogen and then heats it with radiofrequency energy, in one treatment. The idea is to destroy the tumour and also to stimulate the immune system. It is a newer approach, and results come from small studies.
Who it may suit
- Selected small or moderate tumours of the liver, and in some centres lung or other organs
- Patients where standard ablation, surgery or other options have been discussed first
- People willing to consider a technique with limited published evidence
What happens
- Review of scans, pathology and earlier treatment by an interventional oncology team
- Confirmation that the tumour can be reached safely and that standard options were considered
- Image-guided treatment with probes placed through the skin, under anaesthesia
- Scans and blood tests in the weeks and months afterwards
About 1 week in China, with follow-up scans at home.
Standard ablation, surgery, embolization and radiotherapy are available in Canada. This hot-and-cold approach is not in routine use here.
How it works
Standard ablation uses either heat (microwave or radiofrequency) or cold (cryoablation). Cryo-thermal systems combine both. Liquid nitrogen freezes the tumour, it thaws, and then radiofrequency energy heats it. The aim is more complete destruction of the tumour tissue.
Researchers also think that freezing followed by heating may leave tumour material that wakes up the immune system more than heat alone. This is a theory under study. Some of the laboratory and early patient work is led by the same teams that developed the technique.
The published evidence is early. A 2026 liver cancer study of this method included only seven patients and was run by the team that developed it. A 2026 kidney cancer study of a similar hybrid device looked back at 45 patients: kidney function afterwards was similar to standard microwave ablation, but minor bleeding was more common (60% compared with 23%) and the cancer came back at the treated spot slightly more often (13% compared with 3%), although the study was too small to be sure. The first randomized trial, in 120 patients with liver tumours, compares it with standard heat ablation and was still recruiting in late 2026. Until its results are published, this is an investigational technique. It is approved in China but not used outside China, and we would treat it as an option to discuss with your oncologist, not as a first choice.
Potential advantages
- May be considered when a tumour is hard to treat with heat or cold alone
- Image-guided, with no large incision
- Combines two known tools, freezing and heating, in one session
- Immune effects are being studied and may help future treatment design
- Can sometimes be used alongside other treatments
What to prepare for a specialist review
- Pathology report and tumour markers
- Recent CT, MRI or PET scans with image files
- Full list of earlier treatments and their dates
- Liver function and blood clotting tests
- Your Canadian oncologist's view on standard options
- List of medicines, especially blood thinners and immunotherapy
Questions to ask the treating team
- Why is this recommended over standard ablation, surgery or embolization?
- How many patients like me have you treated, and what were the results?
- Is the device and method used in published studies, and by whom?
- What are the risks to nearby organs for my tumour?
- Is there a clinical trial I could join instead?
Things to know. Evidence is limited and the devices are specific to certain makers. Freezing can cause bleeding and heating can injure nearby organs. It should not replace proven treatment. We are still confirming which Chinese hospitals currently offer this to international patients. It is approved in China but not used routinely elsewhere, and should be considered investigational until randomized trial results are published.
Why an introduction matters
Many of China’s leading specialists work in busy public hospitals without international patient offices. They rarely answer enquiries from abroad directly, and a file sent without an introduction often goes unread. Cases usually reach them through people they already know and trust. Our team on the ground makes that introduction, presents your case properly in Chinese, and follows up until you have an answer.
Related pages
Sources: Theranostics (2026): multimodal thermal therapy and anti-tumour immunity in hepatocellular carcinoma · RadiologyInfo: Thermal ablation for tumour treatment · ClinicalTrials.gov: randomized trial of multimodal thermal therapy for malignant liver tumours (NCT07159048) · Hybrid cryo-thermal ablation compared with microwave ablation for stage I kidney cancer (2026, PubMed Central)
Last reviewed: 12 November 2026. This page is general information, not medical advice.
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